Machinery

Mechanisation eases the job of placing the product in the designated packaging. There are many sections on a production line:

UnscramblerUnscrambler

Packaging items are tipped into the machine, which separates and aligns them ready for the line. Mainly used for caps or bottles.

Filling machineFilling machine

Various systems are used to fill containers with liquids, powders or granules. The machines can be multi-head, straight line, rotary or single-shot.

CapperCappers

These screw or push on the closure. Similar machines are used to add dispensers such as nail polish brushes, pumps or sprays.

LabellerLabellers

Wet-glue labellers work at speed applying adhesive directly to food and drink containers and labels. Self-adhesive labels from a reel are presented onto the product top or side as it moves down the line. Front and back labels can be applied at the same time. All labels are smoothed down on the line. Hand-labelling dispensers are also available.

Shrink sleevers

Here a tube of pre-printed shrink film is positioned over a container, cut to size and passed through a heated shrink tunnel giving a labelled image. Bulk packs and collations can use shrink film on automatic wrap over machinery prior to entering a heated tunnel.

Carton fillers

Often referred to as cartonners, these erect the carton blank and insert the product vertically or horizontally. Folded leaflets and extra items such as spoons can be inserted. The carton is then tucked in or glued for closure. This machine may be followed by an overwrapper where a number of filled cartons are firmly wrapped with film and sealed at the ends.

Form, Fill, Seal

These machines fill products such as chocolate or crisps into preformed tubes of film or laminate material, sealing the top and bottom in the process.

Tube filler

This machine will take open-end flexible tubes, fill from the base, crimp seal flat and eject onto a cartonning line.

Case packers

These place a number of products into an erected corrugated case, fold over the flaps and tape over the join.

Other machines

Conveyor belts are widely used to move products down the production line. Robotics can be used to place products or cases on a pallet.Other machines involved are heat sealers, stretch wrappers, overprinters, check-weighers and other quality control devices.

Processes for plastics

Extrusion lineExtrusion

Plastics processes start with melting pellets and passing them through the extrusion tool.

Blow-moulded productsBlow-moulding

This machinery creates extrusion or injection blow bottles, jars or bottles. An additional stretch facility is used for PET to provide extra strength. Most shapes can be accommodated.

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